European Championships: Marrit Steenbergen Stamps 100 Free CR & Maxime Grousset Rattles French Fly Mark
Marrit Steenbergen set a 100m freestyle championship record of 52.62 and Maxime Grousset rattled his French 50 fly mark in the first prelims session in Paris.
Steenbergen set the WR of 51.68 at the Sette Colli meet in Rome in June and took to the water at the Olympic Aquatic Centre to stamp her authority in the first women’s race of the European Championships.
Grousset had been an injury doubt for the competition since he fractured his foot in training but he flew to 22.49 in the 50 fly prelims, 0.01 off his French record and Andrii Govorov’s championship mark, both of which stand at 22.48.
The prelims had been scheduled to begin with Leon Marchand’s quest for a maiden European title in the 400IM but the four-time Olympic champion has dropped the IM events following injury and restricted his programme to the 200 fly and 400 free.
Men’s 400m Individual Medley
Marchand opened his programme at the national championships in Saint-Etienne at the end of June with a 4:04.56 400IM, the fifth-fastest performance in history and fourth among his own pantheon.
However, he felt a sharp pain in his right adductor muscle in the 200m breaststroke prelims which led to him withdrawing from the meet.
He was entered in four events – including the IM double – but restricted his programme to the 200 fly and 400 free after aggravating the injury.
However, the show must go on and the home crowd must wait until they see their hero who entered sporting immortality at La Defense Arena.
There were three prelims with the first three men home in the first seeded heat separated by just 0.24 led by Finn Hammer of Germany (4:13.45), Alberto Razzetti (4:13.54) and Max Litchfield (4:13.69). Robert-Andrei Badea was disqualified for using an alternating leg kick rather than a dolphin kick after finishing fourth in a time that would have seen him progress to the final. The Romanian – who turns 19 next month – won the title at two straight European junior championships in 2024/25.
Ilia Borodin took control on the breaststroke leg of the final prelim and pulled away to touch clear in 4:13.10, the only man to break 4:14 in his race.
Women’s 100m Freestyle
The French crowd gave a loud ovation to Marie Wattel before the first seeded heat, a cheer that grew in volume when she turned second before coming home third as Milou van Wijk touched first in 53.00.
Sara Curtis led the way in the penultimate heat in 53.76 ahead of Beryl Gastaldello (54.03).
Steenbergen went in the final heat and she dominated, coming home more than a body length ahead in 52.62, a new championship record 0.05 inside Sarah Sjostrom’s 52.67 mark that had stood since Berlin 2014.
Her Netherlands team-mate Van Wijk was second through in 53.00 ahead of Daria Klepikova (53.66) and Curtis (53.76).
Men’s 100m Butterfly
Grousset’s participation had been in doubt after he fractured his foot during training. The world champion’s presence behind the starting blocks of the final prelim was greeted by a roar at the Olympic Aquatic Centre that grew in volume and duration.
He’d seen Noè Ponti go 22.69 after Egor Kornev posted 22.70. Grousset though looked superb and controlled, speeding into the wall in 22.49. That was 0.01 off his own French record set en-route to the world title in Singapore last year and the CR of 22.48 that has stood since Glasgow 2018.
Women’s 200m Backstroke
Neutral Athlete Anastasiya Shkurdai was the only woman with an entry time inside 2:08 in the field of 29 women.
Katie Shanahan won silver at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and she led the way as the only woman inside 2:10 in 2:09.29.
Men’s 100m Breaststroke
Adam Ramsay-Peaty has found himself in the spotlight in the last fortnight after a tearful mixed zone interview following his bronze at the Commonwealth Games.
The double Olympic champion went in the final heat in Paris after Paris 2024 gold medallist Nicolo Martinenghi had posted 59.11 to lead the rankings.
The Briton had to play catch-up after he emerged from his start well short but he looked good through the water and turned in second, although he again lost time there. A 31.49 second 50 guided him into the wall in top spot as he posted 59.08, the fastest of the field and swifter than the 59.17 in which Sam Williamson won the Commonwealth title.
Martinenghi and fellow Italian Simone Cerasuolo each progressed in 59.11 ahead of Ireland’s Jack Kelly (59.27), Melvin Imoudu (59.31) and Kirill Prigoda (59.38).
Filip Nowacki – who won silver ahead of Ramsay-Peaty in Glasgow – was the second Briton through in 59.39.
Women’s 4x200m Freestyle
The Neutral Athletes quartet booked lane four in 7:54.17 next to Germany whose 7:54.57 featured Linda Roth’s 1:57.62 fastest split in the field.
Hungary, Italy, Great Britain, Spain, Poland and Portugal all booked spots for tonight’s final.
Men’s 4x200m Freestyle
Lukas Märtens went out with intent in the first prelim, leading off the German quartet in 1:45.84 as they posted 7:04.83.
It would turn out to be the fastest time of the two prelims putting them in lane four alongside Olympic and world champions Great Britain. Jack McMillan steered them from third to first on the second leg as they came home in 7:05.07.
Lithuania, Israel, Neutral Athletes B, Italy, France and Greece all progressed with Marchand likely to step in for Monday night’s final.
The Great Britain squad had reunited after swimming for their home nations at the Commonwealth Games with the team arriving in the French capital less than a fortnight later for the target meet.
Tom Dean – the Tokyo Olympic champion in the individual event – told Swimming World: “Feels good. And I think already, look at this morning, people are swimming quicker than they did in Glasgow. Max Litch had a cracking 4IM, you know, and he’s chuffed for that. So people have bounced on well. That was always the plan. Tiggy (GB head coach Steve Tigg) gave a great speech yesterday and said we need to bounce higher than we did in Glasgow last week, and that’s fine.”
Matt Richards, Duncan Scott and James Guy – three of the men who won in Paris two years ago – are set to appear in tonight’s final meaning that one of McMillan and Dean will miss out. McMillan split 1:45.40 and the latter 1:45.69 if the decision handing the former an advantage should inclusion be decided on heat time alone.
“I guess we just have to wait and see what the coaches say,” said McMillan. “Obviously, we didn’t put our strongest team forward in the heat, but we all did our job this morning. Get through to the final and then, you know, we’ll see what happens.”
Women’s 800m Freestyle
Simona Quadarella won the 800 free title at three straight championships in 2018, 2021 and 2022 although the Italian didn’t attend the 2024 edition in Belgrade given its proximity to the Olympics.
The European record holder booked lane four in 8:23.17 with Isabel Gose next to her in 8:26.01 and Vivien Jackl third through in 8:28.87.
